Hi Everyone,
I wanted to share something personal—not to ask for sympathy, but to get it off my chest and maybe connect with someone who’s been through something similar.
Over two years ago, my ex-wife and I separated. We have two beautiful kids, now 7 and 1.5. They've been in her full-time care, and I’ve stayed closely involved—visiting every weekend and working remotely from a small space she set up for me in her garage. I’ve always appreciated that.
At the time of separation, I gave her 85% of the equity from our shared home (around $145K) so she could build a place for the kids. I moved in with my parents, who kindly let me stay rent-free. I’ve quietly saved money for them in a separate account to give back where I can.
Workwise, things started falling apart. The emotional toll, constant moving, and long commutes began to impact my job performance. In June this year, I was formally let go. I didn’t tell many people—I just tried to keep going, using my final payout and savings to continue child support and other commitments.
For over a year, I consistently paid over $2,200/month in child support—something I’m proud of. But now, those funds are gone. I’ve sold almost everything to stay afloat. I have no car, no real assets, and I'm about to lose my phone—my lifeline, filled with memories, documents, and everything tied to daily life.
Without it, I’ve lost access to key government services, like MyGov. I’ve been trying to lodge my tax return, which could really help right now, but can’t get through. Support lines keep dropping. It’s been a bit of a nightmare.
I’ve looked into early access to my super. There’s over $300K sitting there, untouched. I’m not asking for much—just enough to catch up on a few bills, reclaim what I’ve pawned, and give myself a couple months of breathing space to find work again and support my kids properly.
Father’s Day is around the corner, and I’ve got $2 to my name. It’s hard to sit with. I’ve made some budgeting mistakes, I cant and could never save, but I'd always have the cash to live a comfortable life with my kids and be able to get out of unforseen cash flow situations and not have to check how much I have left in my wallet to see if I can afford one large maccas meal and one small maccas meal, or if I have to settle for two smalls and tell my 7 year old why... etc...
If you’ve been through something like this—or know if there’s a legitimate path for early super access with my loosely mentioned financial strains—I’d really appreciate any advice or shared experience. I know some people have accessed theirs for holidays or vehicles. I’m just hoping to do it for stability, not luxury. By no means am I passing judgement, it’s your own money.
Thanks so much for reading. Even a few words of encouragement or a shared story would mean a lot right now. If any reps from ATO could either put me out of my misery, or say with 100% certainty, yes you can access X amount of super provider collate and provide evidence for items Y Z, would really be all I need to make this happen myself, I’d imagine. Otherwise, I’ll sit tight for my $398 job seeker payment due 19th Sep I believe.
Warm regards,
Exhausted, mid-40s, first-time job seeker separated male ✌️
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